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Various UK players met with the media on Thursday, including returning center Nick Richards.
The soon-to-be sophomore had an up-and-down freshman season in Lexington. That was also the case with fellow returnee Quade Green, as both players struggled to live up to their lofty recruiting rankings as freshmen.
There’s nothing wrong with that, as some players take a little longer to get their feet under them in college.
However, Richards took a jab at Green during Thursday’s media session that may or may not be in relation to some of his struggles as a freshman.
Random observation from those interviews: Quade Green in really impressive shape. Has changed his body. When asked if Green’s personality was coming out, Richards quipped: “He’s the same Quade; just not fat.”
— Jeff Drummond (@JDrumUK) June 14, 2018
Ouch.
It’s no secret that Green struggled mightily on defense at times last season, which could have been attributed to that freshman 15 Richards seems to think Green was carrying.
At this point, though, it’s just something the two can make fun of. It also sounds like Green has made some big changes this offseason to his diet and body to ensure he’s in better shape next season. He showed plenty of promise as an offensive player.
Now, he needs to get better at becoming a good defender that UK can rely on in crunch time.